Elder Russell M. Nelson pronounced blessings upon the lands and for the
people of six nations in Southeastern Europe, Sept.
6-9.

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

On Sept. 6, Elder Russell M. Nelson, seated at center, met with members in the Relief Society room of the LDS meetinghouse in Zagreb where he offered a prayer to bless the land of Croatia and for its people.

After attending and participating in the dedication of the Kyiv Ukraine
Temple on Aug. 28, Elder Nelson went to Rostov-na-Donu and Moscow, Russia,
Aug. 30-Sept. 2; Stockholm Sweden, Sept. 3-4; and Frankfurt, Germany, Sept.
10-13. He met with area leaders and members in each of these countries.
(Please see related article on this page.)

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

Elder Russell M. Nelson, third from right, joined with members in the Relief Society room of the LDS meetinghouse in Ljubljana to bless Slovenia and its people on Sept. 6.

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

At the dedication of
Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sept. 8 in Vraca Memorial Park in Sarajevo are Elder Erich Kopischke, president of the Europe Area; Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve; Gordana Adamov, a pioneer member of the Church in Sarajevo; Damjan Matic and Johann Wondra.

In the midst of his travels, he went to six nations in the Balkans of
Europe where he offered prayers of blessings on the lands and for the
people of Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosina-Herzegovina, Kosovo and
Macedonia.

The blessings Elder Nelson offered upon these lands and for their people
were in partial fulfillment of the Lord's declaration in 1843 to His
servants: "And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless I will
bless.…" Doctrine and Covenants 132:47).

Elder Nelson said, "This is the order of the Church. In the 112th
Section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord says the Twelve are to go
out and open the doors of the nations for the gospel, which will bless
their lives.

"The significance is that we turn the key so that the forces of
righteousness can begin to flourish, to bless the people so they can learn
the commandments of God and prosper in the land. We leave blessings of
peace and harmony.

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

Elder Russell M. Nelson, center, gathers with Church members at Germia Park in Pristina, Kosovo, to offer a blessing on Kosovo and for its people on Sept. 8.

"This message is especially significant in this part of the world that
has known war, devastation and destruction through the centuries, even as
recent as in the 1990s."

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

In this peaceful wooded area of Podgorica, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Twelve offered a prayer of blessing on Montenegro and its people.

The nations in Southeastern Europe that Elder Nelson blessed were once
part of the Soviet Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1991, Croatia and
Slovenia declared independence from the republic; by 1995, other nations
had seceded. In 2003, the Yugoslav federation was replaced with the union
of Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro became independent in 2006.

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

A brilliant sunrise on Sept. 9 is seen from Mount Vodno at Skopje, where Elder Russell M. Nelson dedicated Macedonia, the last of six Balkan nations he blessed.

Photo courtesy Johann Wondra

A view from Mount Vodno overlooking Skopje, Macedonia.

During his travels in Southeastern Europe, Elder Nelson was accompanied
by his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson; Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy
and president of the Europe Area and his wife, Sister Christiane
Kopischke; and Brother Johann Wondra, who serves in the Europe Area, and
his wife, Sister Ursula Wondra. Slovenia/Croatia Mission President David H.
Hill and his wife, Sister Dana Hill, accompanied him in Croatia and
Slovenia.

Elder Nelson spoke of the history of the Church in the former
Yugoslavia. "When he was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Thomas
S. Monson dedicated Yugoslavia in November 1985. In the dedicatory prayer
that he offered, he blessed the people of that nation," he said.

"Since Yugoslavia has been dissolved, the First Presidency and Quorum of
the Twelve felt it was proper now to go to the individual components of
that former country and bless the people in the current political
configuration."

The first apostolic prayer Elder Nelson offered in the Balkans was on
Monday, Sept. 6, in Zagreb, Croatia. "This was the city where President
Monson dedicated Yugoslavia in 1985," Elder Nelson said.

Elder Nelson offered the prayer on Croatia at sunrise, 6:25 a.m., in the
Relief Society room of the LDS meetinghouse in Zagreb. Twenty-six people
were present, including Elder and Sister Nelson, Elder and Sister
Kopischke, Brother and Sister Wondra and President and Sister Hill.

Elder Nelson said that typically prayers to dedicate lands are held
outdoors, on a hillside, in a park or some other suitable location.
"Usually, we dedicate a country where we don't have any chapels, but on
this trip, two of the countries already have LDS chapels. We felt it was
symbolic to offer the prayers in these buildings."

On the afternoon of Sept. 6, Elder Nelson offered a prayer on the nation
of Slovenia and for its people. "Again, we met in a Relief Society room,
this time in an LDS meetinghouse in Ljubljana."

In addition to Elder Nelson's official party, 24 others attended.

"We had a devotional that night for members of the Church, friends and
neighbors in the Ljubljana chapel."

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, Elder and Sister Nelson, Elder and Sister
Kopischeke and Brother and Sister Wondra went to Montenegro, where they
were met by James and Michele Fowler, an LDS couple who live Podgorica.
They and a small group of members in Podgorica assembled at the ruins of
Doclea, remnants of a Roman Empire civilization dating back to the year
A.D. 1.

"At those ruins I knelt in prayer to bless the land and the people of
Montenegro," Elder Nelson said.

Later that day, Elder Nelson and his party went to their next stop,
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he offered a prayer of
blessing on that land and for the people.

"They like to call that 'the Olympic City,' because that's where the
Winter Olympics were held in 1984.

"In Sarajevo we were met by two Latter-day Saint couples, Gary and Audra
Sombke, and Ed and Brooke Rowe. The Sombkes live in Sarajevo, and the Rowes
live in Banja Luka. We had an evening devotional at the Sombke home, with
35 people in attendance. We have no chapel there."

He and his group then traveled to Pristina, Kosovo, where they we were
met by Richard and Wendy Sweeney, who live there.

"I knelt in prayer in a grove of trees in Germia Park," Elder Nelson
said. "The trees were beautiful and it was so silent. I offered a special
prayer on the land of Kosovo and for its people."

Elder Nelson and those traveling with him then went to the last of the
six countries on his itinerary, Macedonia.

In Skopje, they were met by Sam and Andrea Juncker. "We had a nice
gathering with 21 people at their home that evening," Elder Nelson
said.

"On Thursday, Sept. 9, at sunrise, on Mount Vodno, we met in Kristovar
Park. The evening before we had observed from our hotel room a large
Christian cross on the top of the mountain overlooking the city. I looked
it up on Google and found that this was the largest Christian cross on
earth. We thought that was a perfect spot for a dedicatory prayer."

He noted with interest that Alexander the Great was born in Skopje, as
was the Catholic humanitarian, Mother Teresa. "There is a rich heritage of
history in Skopje," Elder Nelson said.

Elder Nelson said he was deeply impressed with the friendliness of the
people of the Balkan nations. "It was a privilege to be of service to
them," he said.